"Achoo!" The cool breeze blew as Li Ren walked down a familiar yet strange street, causing him to sneeze. He gently covered his mouth and nose, sniffing. He passed many familiar sights: the old streetlights, the dumpling shop finally taken over by an unfilial son, the aquatic pet shop with a continuous sound of flowing water at its entrance, and so on... The passersby chatted lightly as they walked by, accompanied by the tempting aromas of various foods. As he walked, he unconsciously found himself in front of the breakfast shop he used to frequent. This was a place that catered primarily to children, offering food that was very much to their liking, but most importantly, it was cheap. Back when he was on his way to school, he often bought a steamed bun there for breakfast.
Li Ren stared at the breakfast shop for a long time, lost in memories. Just then, the shop owner lifted her head and their eyes met. He panicked and turned to run. The owner raised her hand, seemingly unable to call him back in time, and he had already disappeared. He ran into a nearby alley and thought, 'She probably didn't see me clearly...' Then he looked at his outfit and reassured himself, 'She shouldn't recognize me, right? After all, I've changed so much…' He continued to self-comfort, 'I'll just find a place near the meeting point to eat, and wait for the time to gather…' He pulled up the hood of his jacket to cover his head and left that place.
.
.
.
"So you can't find him now?" the old man asked, sipping his rich black coffee. In front of Terry was a plate piled high with bread and pastries, and he was currently channelling his frustration into appetite. "Yeah! He actually blocked me! I'm so mad..." His cheeks were stuffed full of bread, making his speech muffled, looking like a little hamster. The old man laughed heartily and then sighed, "Many people you meet in life are just passing by; that's perfectly normal—"
"But I don't want him to be just a passerby..." Before the old man could finish his sentence, Terry said lightly, lowering his gaze and slightly furrowing his brow. He swallowed the bread in his mouth and continued, "I mean, I don't want to become his passerby; I want to help him."
"What does he need your help with? What can you do to help?" Looking at Terry, who seemed to carry many worries and troubles in his eyes, the old man was quite puzzled. 'That boy looks like he can take care of himself just fine, and he seems pretty healthy.'
Terry put down his bread and gingerly picked up the coffee cup with his left pinky and the side of his right palm, avoiding getting oil on it. He took a sip and said, "He seems to need money, but I'm not sure why. I heard from his coworkers that he works really hard, even when he's sick, just for a decent salary."
"Does he have a car?" the old man asked.
"Probably not...?" Terry answered cautiously.
"Does he have a house?" the old man asked again.
"He's not renting a place. His life is so tough, and he cares so much about money; he probably hasn't bought one." Terry frowned slightly, his eyes unconsciously rolling as he tried to find the answers in his mind.
"Does he have a girlfriend?" the old man asked once more.
"Probably not? It seems like he only gets calls about work," Terry said, looking puzzled at the old man.
"He has no car, no house, no partner, and he works so hard for money. After sending money home, living here should be more than enough for him. Why does he need so much money? Unless someone in his family is sick, otherwise he must be involved in something like gambling or drugs," The old man's eyes were firm, his fingers pointing in the air as usual.
"Ugh, no!" Terry frowned, his cheeks full of discontent, making his eyes squint. He then recounted everything Zhang Lin An had told him.
"If that's the case, how do you plan to help him?" the old man casually picked up a piece of bread from Terry's plate. Terry gently pushed the plate closer to the old man to make it easier for him to grab. "I was thinking I could continue sleeping on the sofa, so he won't have to travel around. He should find a permanent job. That way, he wouldn't need to travel everywhere, and it would be stable—he could get retirement benefits, insurance, and have a good record for any future applications."
The old man chewed on his bread, looking at Terry with a blank expression. "You know having those things makes the future easier, right? Why don't you find a job for yourself?" Terry shook his head and stamped his foot, saying, "Come on, today's topic isn't about me!"
The two fell silent for a moment. Terry took another sip of coffee and then cautiously asked, "By the way, Grandpa, if—I'm saying if—you needed extra help here..."
"No!" the old man replied loudly, cutting off what Terry was about to say. Terry looked like a sulking child, disappointment clearly written across his face. "Why—" he asked.
"Are you silly? I don't need extra help!" the old man raised his chin, as if pointing at Terry in reprimand. Terry's eyes widened in disbelief, straightening his back as he pointed at Grandpa and said, "You clearly need help!"
Terry's raised voice even made the old man straighten his back. "Hiring someone costs at least two thousand! Are you going to give me that money?" the old man made a 'two' sign with his finger at Terry's face, then pointed to his nose. Terry refused to back down, spreading his hands and saying, "I could do that!"
"I'll knock you out if you keep talking," the old man raised his fist, pretending to hit Terry, who instinctively shrank back. But soon after, the old man lowered his fist, replacing it with a calm expression, and sighed, "Besides, I'm not planning to continue this shop for long."
"Huh?!" Terry was taken aback, staring at the old man, his eyes seemingly filled with all kinds of questions. "I want to return to my hometown with my loved one soon," the old man explained without making Terry wait too long. His expression seemed a bit reluctant but also hopeful for the future.
"What? Why so sudden? What about all the teacakes here?" Terry leaned forward unconsciously. "The shop will be passed on to someone else. Whether that person makes teacakes is up to them," the old man said. "Have you found someone to take over yet?" Terry asked incessantly, as if facing the end of his own shop. "Not yet. I hope it won't take too long," the old man leaned back in his chair and replied.
Terry furrowed his brow, staring at the bread on his plate. 'What a pity... If it's just about money, I could talk to my family about it... If Li Ren were here, I could hire him... I just don't understand—why would he run off without getting paid? Isn't he concerned about money? ... Wait…' Suddenly, Terry had an idea, his eyes wide with realisation.
He stood up, took out his wallet, and placed a hundred dollars on the table. "I suddenly have something urgent to do, so I'll leave first. The money is here; I'll eat the rest later!" He quickly grabbed his things and rushed out of the restaurant, leaving the old man bewildered, staring at the hundred dollars on the table and the remaining bread on the plate. "Eat the rest later? Which one?—money or bread? What a mess..." the old man shook his head lightly.
Terry hurried home, driving quickly, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at his apartment. He wasted no time rushing into the house, neglecting to close the door, and dashed to the coffee table to grab the paper with Li Ren's bank account number. "Ha..." He smiled to himself.
.
.
.
Li Ren sat in a chair, lost in thought, with an empty plate in front of him. The utensils were neatly placed on the plate, weighing down a tissue that folded square. Around him, everyone else was busy eating. This area had many construction sites, so most of the diners were workers in orange and blue overalls. The open space echoed with various sounds. This was a self-service cafeteria where one had to queue for ordering and collecting food, and after eating, diners needed to return their dishes to designated spots. Li Ren preferred not to sit in easily noticeable places, so he chose a very inconspicuous corner.
Just as he was about to stand up to clear his dishes, his phone chimed, catching his attention. However, Li Ren quickly furrowed his brows as he picked up his phone and opened the message, reading in astonishment:
You've just received $3,000 in your account ending***1234. REF: VE15310156GDS
"What is this payment...? Could it be a scam?" Li Ren murmured, then unlocked his phone to check the bank app for transaction details.
- GRB CT - TERRY ZOU ZHUANG TONG - CLEANING PAYMENT - $3,000 -
Time seemed to freeze as Li Ren stared at his phone, thinking, 'What the...? Why would he transfer so much?!' Once he processed this information, he quickly removed Terry from his blacklist. Just as he was about to call Terry, he received a call from him, which startled Li Ren, but he quickly answered.
"Finally willing to pick up the phone? Why did you block me!" Before Li Ren could ask, Terry's voice came through. Li Ren was momentarily stunned, then said, "So what? Do you know you transferred the wrong amount? There's an extra zero! Hurry up and give me your account number so I can transfer it back." However, Terry replied nonchalantly, "I didn't transfer it wrong; it's three thousand."
This left Li Ren bewildered. "Why would you transfer so much?" This was exactly what Terry wanted to hear. "It's to get you to unblock me!" Terry's voice seemed to pierce through the phone and hit Li Ren's eardrums. Li Ren frowned, "Stop joking; give me your account number, and I'll transfer it back!" But Terry said, "Sorry, I only accept cash. If you want to return it, bring me cash.". Li Ren was taken aback. "Stop being ridiculous! Do you think I have time for this? I—" Before he could finish, Terry replied, "I'm free; I can come find you. It's not far from Lousheng Town!"
Terry's words seemed to freeze Li Ren's world. 'How does he know where I am...?' Li Ren was stunned for a while, then calmly asked, "How do you know?" Terry grinned, "Lin An told me." Upon hearing this, Li Ren rolled his eyes, thinking, 'Tch! I should never have agreed to let this guy work for me! Zhang Lin An is such a loudspeaker!' Li Ren gritted his teeth, cursing silently.
"I'll pick you up after work; that's it—no arguing!" Before Li Ren could respond, Terry hung up the phone. "Hey!" Li Ren quickly checked to see if the call had really ended. Once confirmed, he was even angrier, thinking, 'What a nutcase!' He put his hands on his hips, sighed, and stomped to return his dishes.
For a long while, Terry's annoying, smug face lingered in Li Ren's mind, refusing to go away, until it was time to report for work, at which point he finally managed to shift his focus. Fortunately, this job was at a campsite, involving a wilderness survival training program where they weren't allowed to leave and had to surrender their phones, putting them in a state of disconnection. So for now, he could temporarily set aside this bothersome guy.
Time flew by, and before Li Ren knew it, the end of the work period had arrived. After seeing all the campers off, Li Ren, as a part-time worker, also finished his shift. He dragged his exhausted body, feeling the weight of his bag, step by step. It was already 1 PM, and because it took a long time to leave the campsite, he hadn't eaten much over the past few days and was now starving.
Li Ren stood in an inconspicuous spot near the campsite, trying to grab a car to the city. Unfortunately, e-hailing services weren't very common in Li Ren's hometown, making this task quite difficult. 'What's the big deal? As long as it's not that guy, there's nothing I can't handle,' Li Ren thought.
They say you shouldn't casually mention someone, or they will appear out of nowhere.
"Li Ren!! Over here!! Missed you!!!" A familiar voice called from across the street, as if amplified, loud enough to be heard miles away. Upon hearing his name, Li Ren panicked and looked up, soon spotting Terry waving enthusiastically from a car with the passenger window rolled down. He glanced at the nearby crowd, which turned to look at him due to the commotion, making Li Ren feel like all his cells and muscles froze; he wished he could find a hole to hide in.
Lowering his head, he marched over to Terry's car, opened the passenger door, threw his bag onto Terry, closed the window, slammed the door, and pointed at Terry, scolding, "Could you not be so embarrassing?!" He completed all these actions in one breath. Terry, holding Li Ren's bag, hesitated to speak, then pouted, "I'm sorry... It's just been so long since we last met, I got a bit too excited...". "It's not even a week!" Li Ren shot back at Terry.
Despite being harshly scolded, Terry laughed. "That look and tone—it's really strangely nostalgic." Hearing this made Li Ren shiver, and he disdainfully said, "Stop acting weird!" He waved his hand vigorously, trying to cut off Terry's eager gaze.
"Did you just arrive? Have you booked a hotel?" Li Ren quickly tried to change the topic to distract Terry. "I've been here for two days! Staying at a guesthouse called Happy Farm! I booked a four-person room with two double beds!" Terry proudly held up two fingers, swaying them side to side. Li Ren was puzzled. "Why book a four-person room...?" Terry opened his beautiful eyes wide, saying, "So you can have a big bed when you arrive! Plus, I'm not sleeping on the sofa." He glanced to the right, then looked back at Li Ren, adding, "But you haven't eaten yet, right? Do you want to grab a bite first?"
Li Ren thought seriously for a moment and replied, "I want to take a shower."
Terry looked Li Ren up and down, saying, "You definitely should shower first; let's head back to the guesthouse! Here, take this." Terry put Li Ren's bag in the back seat, then grabbed a large bag filled with various breads, cakes, and drinks from the back seat and placed it on Li Ren's lap. "Choose for yourself; snack a bit, and we'll have something nice for dinner!"
Li Ren stared incredulously at the large bag of food, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, Terry started driving toward their destination.
TO BE CONTINUE...